Water Operators

WaterLinks is a network of, by and for urban water and sanitation service providers (operators).  Its core mission is to catalyze the improvement and expansion of services by water operators through peer-to-peer collaboration.  All partnerships result in real changes to impact customers with safer water supply and better sanitation services.

"I see great value in learning from similar utilities, because it has demonstrated methods that achieve results.  Our cooperation with Manila Water [Philippines] and Vitens Evides [the Netherlands] really prepared us to better deliver water supply."

General Director Nguyen Truong Anh of the Da Nang Water Supply Company (Vietnam) on Da Nang's partnerships with two peers since 2009.

“Our partnership with IWK of Malaysia really helped us design and develop our new septic tank desludging program.  We have invested in new vehicles and are on our way in establishing a new sludge treatment facility. IWK put us in the right direction in terms of understanding new treatment and collection technologies, health and safety requirements and procedures, and outreach to new customers.” 

Mr. Artemio Baylosis from the Baliwag Water District in the Philippines on progress in managing sanitation through a twinning partnership with Malaysia’s Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) in 2011.

In facilitating partnerships, the WaterLinks Center works to match recipient priorities with corresponding mentor (or expert) capabilities and interests.

Why Participate in Partnerships?

Participating in WOPs offer multiple benefits for both recipients and mentors.  Most partnerships develop into longer, informal relationships that foster further exchange of knowledge and information.

Benefits for Recipient Partners
  • Improved or expanded service delivery
  • Increased human and institutional capacity
  • Greater confidence and leadership skills 
  • Exposure to new policies, practices and technologies
  • Networking with peers
 Benefits for Mentor Partners
  • Staff development through exposure to different challenges and cultures
  • Achievement of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goals
  • Greater understanding of conditions in partner countries
  • Networking with peers

Examples of the Impact of WOPs

Some of the 27 water operator partnerships and other capacity building initiatives established with ADB and USAID's help since 2007 include:

  • Melbourne, Australia's City West Water (CWW) helped Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) in the Philippines reduce their non-revenue water in a pilot area from 30% to 11%, providing valuable insight in entire network.  Now the partners, who say that the twinning has been very successful and developed lasting friendships, are working to scale up these improvements through MCWD's network. 
  • Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) in India provided half of the city of Badlapur, or some 80,000 residents, with continuously running water through the help of Malaysia's Ranhill Utilities.  The partners are now sharing these best practices in water audits, DMA design, leakage detection and pressure management with other cities in the state of Maharashtra.   
  • In part through its active participation in WaterLinks, Indah Water Konsortium, Malaysia's national sewerage services provider, is increasingly recognized as the region's go-to knowledge center for wastewater services training.  Its activities under WaterLinks include conducting a training for participants from 6 countries on septage management; helping Medan, Indonesia develop a new public promotion campaign to increase sewerage connections; and leading a multiple-recipient water operator partnership that will train five Philippine cities on implementing septage management. 

 

What you can do as an Operator under WaterLinks:

To join WaterLinks and get started today, please contact the WaterLinks Center.

 

You can also actively participate in  the WaterLinks website:

 

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